MVSD-American Red Cross Pillowcase Project

Mountain View School District Students Learn to Prepare for an Emergency Through the American Red Cross Pillowcase Project

Mountain
View School District’s 10 elementary schools were recently visited by
representatives from The American Red Cross who presented The Pillowcase
Project, a program that teaches kids
about emergency preparedness. Geared toward students in 3rd through
5th grade, the goal of The Pillowcase Project is to have kids learn how to prepare
for emergencies and bring it to their families so they can be ready and prepared at all times.

Created in New Orleans and sponsored by Disney, the Pillowcase Project
was inspired by local university students carrying their belongings in
pillowcases in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. MVSD’s students each received their own Disney
pillowcase to decorate and personalize, and learned how to create their own
emergency supplies kits by packing essential items in the pillowcase for easy
transport during an emergency. The
Pillowcase Project is one of the most popular campaigns for the Red Cross and
has reached over 270,000 students across the nation.

In addition to decorating their pillowcases and learning what they
should put in them in case of an emergency, the students learned how to prepare
for emergencies, enhance coping skills, practice what they have learned and
share their knowledge with friends and family so that when an emergency occurs
everyone knows what to do. The program emphasizes the importance of developing
an emergency communications plan, fire evacuation plan and emergency contact
cards.

At Baker School students were eager to learn about earthquake and fire
safety and enthusiastically shared what they know about staying safe during a
quake.

“When an earthquake hits we are supposed to get under something like a
table or our desk,” said one student.

“That is correct,” said the Red Cross representative. “In an earthquake you need to drop, cover and
hold. Drop underneath something sturdy,
cover your head and neck, and hold on until the shaking stops,” she added.
“If there is a fire and your clothes are on fire you need to stop, drop and
roll. Your number one job is to protect
yourself and get out in any emergency.”

Students also received a preparedness workbook to take home and fill out
with their family. The workbook helps
families create a home fire escape map, an emergency communications plan,
emergency contact cards, and an emergencies supplies kit.

“I can’t wait to fill my pillowcase up with important things for an
emergency,” said a student. “I’m going to put a flashlight, batteries, water,
snacks, tennis shoes and clothes in it and leave it next to my bed so I can
grab it quickly if I need to.”

“We greatly appreciate
the American Red Cross for bringing The Pillowcase Project to our schools and
teaching our kids about the importance of emergency
preparedness in a fun and interactive way,” said George Schonborn, MVSD’s
Director of Pupil Personnel Services. “The students had a great time decorating their pillowcase and look
forward to filling them up with essential disaster preparedness supplies.”